Per this story
a biscuit, or a cookie as you would call it.
That has to be one of the least appealing names for a treat I’ve ever heard. It sounds like medicine.
At the very least it sounds like a back-handed compliment. “Well, they’re digestible.”
It’s an old Victorian name thats has surpassed its original unappealing name - we don’t even think about the meaning of the word, just know that it’s a rather lovely wholemeal cookie.
here is some more info on digestives.
http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/previous.php3?item=9
This is a biscuit that has been around for years… kind of plain and boring, but a lot of people like them for dunking in their tea.
That’s exactly why they’re called that. They were first marketed as aids to the digestion.
No idea why.
It’s a word I refuse to use. It just sounds like you’re snacking on Pepto-Bismol or something.
I love 'em.
Apparently the taste is not unlike “Graham crackers” that you Americans have. Personally, I find the idea of snacking on something called Graham far more unpleasant than a digestive.
I assume this is because they are made with wholemeal, and therefore contain more fibre than other biscuits. Keep you regular - the Victorians loved that.
OMG that’s a snub on Bush if ever there was one. Chocolate Hob-Nobs is where it’s at. More addictive than crack. Unless I am confusing Hob-Nobs with actual crack. In which case crack is more addictive. Don’t get me started on chocolate crack.
Sounds like it’s too late 
A few weeks ago I was watching a TV programme where a British and an American family swopped homes for a holday. The American woman refused to give digestive biscuits to her children because she thought they were a laxative.
Our Graham crackers were originally developed by Dr. Graham in the 19th century to aid the digestion and lessen sexual desires. He was similar to the later (and more famous) Dr. Kellogg in a lot of his ideas regarding food and sex.
I hope you mean plain chocolate.
As a slight hijack - we have Digestive biscuits in the rest of the UK as well. Or were you specifically seeking an English perspective?
Russell
(from the Scottish part of England)
Of course I meant plain chocolate, I am not the kind of sicko that would eat a dark chocolate Hob-Nob. Tuh! The nerve of the woman.
And let me point out that they exist in most of (the rest of) Europe as well - although in France they seem to be shelved among the ‘exotic forreign food’.
Unfortunately chocolate Hob-Nobs are less easy to find - although if you’re a real addict you can find them even there.
Plain means dark. The alternative would be “milk chocolate”.
I prefer to munch down on penguins